Hi all,
We are planning a trip to Dubai in November 2012 for a birthday for five nights. There are about 8 of us going, and we would need 4 rooms. I'd love to stay somewhere in the Madinat complex, but the prices seem breathtakingly high... Since it sounds like you have all been there before, can I ask for some advice on which hotel to stay in and what a "reasonable" price might be?

My thoughts so far:
Because we are in a group, it would be fantastic to stay in one of the villas at the Dar al Masyaf so we could all be together and have a common courtyard, sundowner drinks, etc. the standard Arabian king rooms there are 2500 AED++ per night for Novner, which is about 860 USD. Wow!

For a similar price, we can get executive floor rooms at either the Al Qasr or Mina A'Salam. Those include buffet breakfast and airport transfers and executive lounge access during the stay.

What are the pros and cons to executive rooms at the hotels vs the villas at the Dar?

Any advice or comments would be really appreciated. Thanks!